Mr SCOT MacDONALD ( 17:41 ): I bring to the attention of the House the very fine visit to the Northern Tablelands region of the Governor of New South Wales, David Hurley, late last week. I enjoyed meeting the Governor on many occasions during the visits with my colleague in the other place and member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall. The Governor and his wife, Linda Hurley, were very well received at a range of venues—Armidale High School, BackTrack, the Costa Group tomato farm, the seventieth anniversary of the Guyra Shire Library, the Guyra Men's Shed and the opening of the Glen Innes Show. A reception for the Governor and his wife was held by Glen Innes Severn Council.

The Governor and his wife were well received on these visits. However, one snippy article in the Sydney Morning Herald had a go at the office of the Governor of New South Wales. I thought the sentiment expressed in this article was unfortunate when I had seen how hard the Governor works for our communities. I saw him giving recognition to people who rarely, if ever, get a pat on the back for the work that they do. He thanked the people who run the men's shed and the volunteers at the library, and they expressed their gratitude. All the Governor did was to thank people; he did not make a song and dance about his visit. Linda Hurley was a fantastic partner at all the events.

I thought that the sentiments expressed in the article were unnecessary. The article suggested moving the Governor out of Government House because what it costs the taxpayers of this State is not money well spent. I believe it is money well spent, because many of the communities the Governor and his wife visited do not get a lot of recognition. He took the trouble to go to those communities and to thank community members for the work that they do. For them, that is a big thing and I believe we cannot put a value on his work. I thank the Governor and his wife, their staff and all the community members who engaged with the Governor. The Governor said he had visited 55 rural and regional towns and he has many more to visit. I believe he is in bushfire-affected communities at the moment. I thank the Governor and wish him well in continuing his good work.